After getting a second opinion from another doctor, Noah Syndergaard will stop all throwing for six weeks as he looks to recover from a torn lat muscle, he told reporters this afternoon.

Of course, once he returns to throwing, it will be a few weeks before Syndergaard can begin a rehab assignment and return to the team.

Mets GM Sandy Alderson told reporters today that he may place Syndergaard on the 60-day disabled list to clear room on the 40-man roster.

“There’s going to be a period of time after that to ramp him back up,” Alderson said of the six-week inactivity.”

“We can all speculate about how long that will take. But I think realistically it’s going to take a while, so we don’t know when he’s going to be back. It’s going to be much later in the season.”

Previous Update – May 5

New York Mets ace Noah Syndergaard received a second opinion on his torn lat by Dr. Neal ElAttrache yesterday in Los Angeles. The orthopedist confirmed that Thor has a partially torn lat and that there is no further damage.

According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, the second opinion was “all positive” on Syndergaard’s lat.

Syndergaard is expected to miss 2-3 months. That still could allow him to pitch for the Mets before the season ends, and could be ready for the postseason should the Mets be in that position.

Rafael Montero will make his first start of the season on Friday night in the place of Syndergaard.

Original Post – May 3

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Noah Syndergaard could be out as long as three months with his torn lat. That was one doctor’s take, however, so he is flying to Los Angeles to get a second opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache.

Steven Matz had a similar injury in 2015 and was out for two months. While the injuries have the same name, “torn lat,” they probably differ in severity. Syndergaard could come back even sooner, but on the other hand, he could be longer due to the fact the Mets will probably be more careful with him considering his incredible long-term value.

So far in 2017, Syndergaard has gone 1-2 with a 3.29 ERA, striking out 32 and walking two (including an intentional walk) in 27.1 innings.

As it currently stands, the Mets starting rotation includes Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Robert Gsellman, and *gulp* Rafael Montero. With Seth Lugo and Steven Matz still ramping up their throwing, the Mets might want to consider getting some outside help.